The Dropout Commander
by Smurphy1999
Summary: After Cardin showed Goodwitch his transcripts, Jaune was expelled from Beacon. As he left the academy, all of his friends and family cursed his name as he was left to fend for himself. Despite this event, he still moves forward and will find his true destiny within Remnant's most elite and most powerful mercenary group the Warhawks. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Well so much for that idea" a blonde young man said with a sigh as he walked the streets of Vale. It was a rather quiet night, very unusual for the bustling city of Vale. The whole street seems to be vacant as the blonde sluggishly walked on the sidewalk. He wore a pair of jeans with a few small cuts on them and a black hoodie. Several pieces of armor covered his arms and parts of his chest that were painted pure white. The young man also wore brown fingerless gloves. At his side laid an empty magnetic clamp that was to hold a weapon in place. In this man's case, it was his family's most treasured weapon: Crocea Mors. This weapon was taken from him alongside his family name, position at Beacon Academy, and his trust in others.

This outcome all started after Jaune stood up to Cardin during the trip to Forever Fall. Even after he saved the bully from the Ursa, he still went and told Goodwitch immediately after the altercation. Then it was off to Ozpin's office for a reprimand, or at least that's what he thought. Instead of a reprimand he received an apology. The old headmaster was apparently already aware of his transcripts and only allowed him to stay due to the potential he saw within him. Despite his 'potential', the headmaster now had no other choice other than expelling him from the school. If the shame of having to walk out of that prestigious school wasn't bad enough, Cardin decided to spread the word and even tell his friends about his dark secret.

"Right, such great friends they turned out to be" Jaune growled as he thought of his friend's betrayal back at Beacon. Team RWBY had varied reactions, starting with the rather obvious snarky comment from Weiss and the silent disapproval from Blake. Yang almost beat him into a pul, until she deemed him 'unworthy of her wrath' and walked off. Ruby's reaction hurt him the most, as she was actually angry with him. He never saw her so angry before, and it really tore a hole into his heart. For his own team, he had a rather lukewarm reaction from them. Nora was her usual bubbly self and kept saying that he deserved to be here anyways. Ren said the same, but Jaune could see the doubt in his eyes and his slight agitation whenever he talked to him. Pyrrha was the same as Ren, but he could see an extreme amount of guilt within her. She couldn't even bring up any courage to talk to him, so he just left after Ren and Nora said their goodbyes. That was several hours ago, and right now Jaune is just wandering the streets of Vale looking for a new purpose, and a place to crash for the night.

Eventually, he wandered into a rather shady nightclub in the seedier side of Vale. It had everything stereotypical of a club with illegal operations going on. From the several mobsters out front to the shady businessmen walking in and out, this club may just hold what Jaune was looking for. Perhaps a fresh start in the underworld might do him good. He was already thrown out of the land of hero's, and he did not have the mindset for becoming a villain, so perhaps he could settle for being a middleman of sorts. Mercenaries were usually looked down upon by today's society, but at least he could still hang on to his morals.

As the ex-hunter in training walked into the club, he was assaulted by a myriad of bright lights and several different sounds. His nostrils were also assaulted by the grotesque mixture of body odor, alcohol, and tobacco products. Jaune was disoriented for several seconds before he regained his posture and managed to move through the club. It was rather busy Dozens of people seemed to party the night away with little care for anything around them. He even saw several questionable moments involving the patron to be escorted out by a few mobsters. It was almost surreal, and he felt as though this was all a dream. Of course that's what Jaune wanted this whole day to be, just one bad dream. Despite his wishes, this was real life and no matter how hard he would try he could never go back. There was nothing for him to return to, so why should he come back? Better move forward with his life.

Jaune made his way to the bar and sat himself down. Several people gave him an odd look, but soon ignored him and continued their previous discussions or activities. Looking around, Jaune a rather suspicious man sitting in one of the booths. He had dark skin and he seemed to be trying to hide his conversation that was occurring on a scroll. The blonde wondered what was going on, but then decided against it as he was no longer responsible for these kinds of things anymore. Right after his conclusion, a rather large man came up to him from behind the bar and spoke to him.

"Little young to be in here blondie. Shouldn't you be in school?" The man was a caucasian male who was leaning forward on the counter and narrowed his eyes at him.

Jaune fearfully gulped before replying "N-n-no sir. I'm actually… well I got kicked out of my school."

The man's gaze softened a bit as he stood up and developed an inquisitive gaze. "How'd that happen?" he questioned.

"It's kinda a long story…" Jaune replied.

"I got time. No one seems to want any drinks right now."

Jaune shook his head before saying "No it's alright. I don't want to be a trouble to anyone anymore."

"Relax kid. I've been hearing these kinds of stories for a while. You ain't no bother." The man then leaned back on the shelves of liquor as Jaune reluctantly explained his story.

After several minutes of explaining his story, the bartender spoke up. "So let me get this straight. You're an ex-huntsman in training who faked his way into Beacon, and the headmaster and let you in AND tried to help you stay in. Finally, all of your friends turned their backs on you, is this correct?"

Jaune sighed and looked at the bar table. "Yeah that's it. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do."

"Have you considered mercenary work?" questioned the bartender.

"Yeah I considered it… but I don't know where to start."

"I believe I can help with that" said a new voice. Jaune turned around to see the dark skinned man from before standing behind him. He seemed to stand over six feet with an intimidating build. The man wore a black military jacket with grey pants that seemed to have a digital pattern. He also wore black combat boots and a gray military cap. On the man's right shoulder rested a symbol of a hawk holding a skull in front of what appeared to be fire. "You said that you were a team leader correct?" the new man questioned Jaune.

"Y-yeah. Yeah I was a team leader." responded the blonde.

"Well, my boss is looking for someone who could possibly lead a group of men. The pay is good, but you need to pass several tests first. If you do pass the tests, you'll have more money than you know what to do with." the man said.

"Yeah but, mercs don't exactly have the best rep. I don't want to become a cold hearted killer." The man then started laughing. "What's so funny?" Jaune asked with a scowl.

"Just seems funny how you think that my group is full of heartless bastards." He then regained his posture and looked Jaune dead in the eye. "Listen kid, my group is guided by our moral code: Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent. We don't harm civies, and we try our hardest to save everyone we can. We are the closest thing there is to Huntsmen and the nation's soldiers. We can give you purpose, a sense of brotherhood, and we can guide you to a better future." He then hands me a business card and says "When you make up your mind, call this number. You seem like a good kid, so I know you'll do the right thing." With that he turns around and walks out the door. Jaune looks down at the business card and saw a name and a number below the same symbol he saw on that man's shoulder.

As the blonde was examining the card, the bartender came back and saw the card in his hand. "He's right you know." he said and Jaune turned to face him. "He's part of the Warhawks, and they are apparently the most moral merc group and arguably the most powerful."

"Is that so" Jaune as he looked back at the card. The blonde then started going through the pros and cons of the whole idea of becoming a merc. They are usually frowned upon in today's society, but this army be his only chance to become a hero. The Warhawks may also be far more reliable allies then his 'friends' back at Beacon. Maybe, he may just go down this path.

"Now either buy a drink or get out blondie. You moping isn't helping me attract customers." the bartender said interrupting Jaune's train of thought. Jaune nodded to himself and walked towards the club's exit. He has a call to make, but first he has to find a payphone… if they even still exist.

 **AN: Here is the first chapter of the Dropout Commander. This'll be a little side project of mine, but I will try to update it on a semi regular basis. My other story, The Day Remnant Stood Still has priority though. Anyways, please review and leave any constructive criticism you have on the story. Until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

In every society, military groups have set up recruitment offices in cities in order to attract young men and women in fighting for their cause. In Atlas, these offices focus on recruiting those who they can shape into model Atlesians. This includes fanatical loyalty to the kingdom and very strict discipline. Of course, one would need these traits when fighting against not only the Grimm, but also the White Fang. Several of the other kingdoms try to model themselves off of Atlas, but they lack the resources and capital in order to achieve this. This is due to these kingdoms heavy reliance on hunters in order to keep their borders safe from harm. There is also the controversy of Atlas soldiers and several huntsmen following orders without question and doing several jobs that would seem to be morally questionable. Such things include suppression of an entire village to several jobs for the Schnee dust company. Of course with the threat of the Grimm, the governments have been able to seize a large amount of control in order to keep the peace. Many people have gotten sick of these actions, and thus several PMC groups have been born over the years.

These PMC groups have a very thorough process when it comes to recruitment and training. Background checks are a crucial part of every military, as no unit wants criminals in their ranks, but the Warhawks are especially thorough. Sometimes even the smallest offense could cause you to be denied by any PMC group on Remnant. However, the most crucial part of the process is the moral tests and character judgement. PMC groups want not only honest individuals, but also those who would question unjust orders and be more than just a body to be thrown at the enemy. Those who show outstanding morals and good character are allowed admittance even if they have committed a few capital offenses. This is such the for our blonde knight, but of course he doesn't know this. The exact depth of the Warhawks' investigation is only revealed during boot camp, that is if he signs the contract and gets past the man who is recruiting him.

"You sure about this kid? If you sign this contract, then you are officially a dog of the Warhawks. There's no turning back from this." The man who spoke was the same man who Jaune encountered in the club. He was no longer wearing the clothes he saw him in. Instead, he was wearing a long sleeve shirt and pants in a gray camouflage pattern with a blue cap with the Warhawks symbol in the center. There was also a nametag on his left breast that read Henderson. On his collar also showed off three stripes indicating his rank of sergeant. In front of him was an oak desk with several papers facing away from him, and towards Jaune. "I'm not trying to scare you away, but I want you to really think this through. Your family and friends might be worried about you."

Jaune was dressed in his usual gear and was sitting in a simple wooden chair. He was eyeing the center paper rather critically with a pen in hand. This paper would decide his fate for the next five years, that is if he signed. If he did, he would become a soldier for the Private Military Group Warhawks, the type of profession that was frowned upon in today's society. But what choice did he have? There wasn't anything left for him back at Beacon, Vale, or his home. Everyone he knew no longer sees him as an ally, much less a friend, so what does he have to lose. Looking up towards Henderson, he said "I understand the contract, and I know what the risks are." He then begins to sign the paper with his signature being formed at the very bottom of the paper where a long black line was showing. "Besides" the blonde says as he finishes his signature "This is the only future I have left. Why turn down a route that will give me purpose? Besides, my family all but disowned me and my friends abandoned me after the incident at Beacon."

He then pushed the now signed paper towards the recruiter and Henderson looked it over. The man then looked up from the paper and extended his hand towards Jaune with a disgruntled sigh. The blonde made the same motion and the two gave a firm handshake. After parting, Henderson stood up and said "Well Jaune Arc, welcome to the Warhawks. Report here at 0500 tomorrow morning to be transported to Basic training. Of course, you need to come here at 1800 hours for some processing and to get your training uniform, ID, and a couple other things." Sergeant Henderson then pushed a piece of paper towards Jaune that read 'Pre-training access and equipment'. "This card will get you through the station and allow you to pick up your gear" explained Henderson. "You'll also be storing any personal items you have here in a locker. You'll get them back after your training though don't worry."

Arc replied by standing up straighter with a goofy grin while saying "Thank you sir." With that said, he turned around and walked out of the door. As he walked out, he let out a sigh and began thinking about what the future held for him. ' _I'll be starting a new life, and maybe I'll finally be good at something. I don't think I'll regret this decision"._ With that thought being replayed in his mind, the blonde walked off towards the hostel he was staying at to pack up what little belongings he had. Tomorrow morning, his new life would start. That is until he heard Henderson behind him.

"You forgot your card trainee."

' _Looks like I still have a lot of work ahead of me'_ the disowned Arc as he turned around and sheepishly apologized as he grabbed the card of the desk. He then turned back around and quickly walked out of the office. The blonde knight then walked off towards his current home, which was a rather rundown apartment, as he needed to pack his belongings and pay off his rent before checking out. Hopefully the land lord will be lenient. If not, then maybe his week may turn around at eh training camp.

 **XXX**

 _'Or this camp will make my mood even worse'_ thought a disgruntled blonde as he stood at attention with several hundred other recruits. This group was standing in the middle of a very muddy courtyard and surrounded by dozens of wooden buildings, while listening to someone yell at them from on top of a podium. Jaune let out a sigh as the man stopped talking a very rehearsed and boring welcome speech, until the said man turned it over to a much taller and more intimidating man.

"I am Sergeant Mendez, and I am your senior drill instructor!" screamed a man standing in front of several recruits. "Now the first and last things out of your oum-forsaken mouths will be sir! Do all of you inbred pieces of shits understand?" A chorus of 'yes sirs' rang out in response to the drill sergeant. "Good that's what I like to hear!" Mende then started pacing back and forth in front of the recruits. As he paced he said "Now i don't give two shits what race, gender, or color you identify as. In this boot camp you are all equally worthless pieces of shit that need to be moulded into proper soldiers. So any discrimination will not be tolerated. These are now your brothers and sisters in arms and you will show them all comradery and respect." A nasty smirk grew on the man's face as he began to talk once again. "Now I'll leave it to my two colleagues: Sergeant Madison and Sergeant Azul. These will send you children off." The two drill sergeants were dressed in the same clothes as Sergeant Mendez was, but wore something akin to a flat cowboy hat. After Mendez finished his speech, he turned around and walked off towards an office like building a couple feet away. As the head drill instructor walked away, the other two drill sergeants walked amongst the group of trainees and roughed them up a bit.

All the way up and down the line each recruit was getting the undivided attention of both Drill Sergeants. Due to the kingdom's standards, many expected to at least get a nights sleep after the long journey to the camp before the yelling started; however, the Warhawks' training routine left no room for relaxation or argument. As soon as the recruits step off the bus, the drill sergeants work on remaking them into soldiers. This process usually has dropouts, but not on the level of the Warhawks. Only about forty percent of this group is expected to pass basic, and then only half to pass the combat training and drills. This allows the Mercenary Group to have access to highly trained and gifted soldiers whenever they have a contract. Unfortunately for Jaune, these two Drill Sergeants saw him as a possible weak link, and the silently converge on him like a pair of vultures to a wounded animal. The blonde was currently wearing green cargo pants, a white t-shirt, and brown combat boots like the rest of the trainees standing with him. His head was also shaved down to a stubble. This was all thanks to the second visit to the recruitment office.

As the two men approached, Jaune began to sweat nervously. The blonde saw their earlier victims and he was scared shitless. A half dozen recruits were reduced to sobbing messes and were thus kicked out before the program really started. Jaune feared that his only chance at having a purpose was going to be stripped away, and so he decided to calm himself down as best as he could. Sadly, it wouldn't be so easy.

As Jaune saw the Sergeant named Azul approach, he felt every ounce of courage return to him slightly. She was a rather short, black woman who looked as imposing as Velvet back at beacon. Azul stood around five foot eight inches. She had short brown hair with a few blue streaks running down the sides. Azul also had dull blue eyes with a small tint of green in them. The other drill sergeant next to her was fitting for every stereotype Jaune had thought one should look like. Madison was a giant of a man, standing at around six feet ten inches and had a massive build. He had caucasian skin and no hair on his head at all. Madison had dark red eyes and large black eyebrows that always made him seem pissed about something. Both approached the blonde from opposite sides and began to 'rough him up'.

"Well lookie here Azul, looks like we got ourselves a pretty boy. Doesn't he look like he needs to go back to daycare?" Madison spoke first.

"Aye, seems like it, though perhaps this blonde bitch is from some kind of prestigious school" Azul said. "Well pretty boy, where you from?" Jaune turned towards the smaller drill sergeant, only to receive her fist striking his gut. It knocked all the breathe out of him and he fell to his knees gasping for air. As he regained his senses, the drill sergeants began to scream at him.

"Did I tell you to look at me recruit? Did I you daft piece of shit?"

"No sir" Jaune groaned as he struggled to stand back up. "Though that was rather uncalled for" he muttered to himself only to be met with another fist strike, this time to the side of his head. Even more yelling assaulted his ears, but he couldn't make anything out for a couple seconds. Once his hearing came back Jaune could make sense of the noises coming from the Drill Sergeants.

"Come on cupcake" shouted Madison. "Did those punches hurt?"

"I'm only a little girl right recruit" screamed Azul "so my punched can't hurt a big strong man like you huh?"

"Sir yes sir" Jaune managed to choke out as he regained his posture.

"Well then recruit, shall we try again?" questioned Madison while Azul prepared to punish the Jaune if he messed up once again. The little Drill Sergeant now had a shock baton in hand, eagerly waiting for Jaune to mess up again.

Once fully upright, Jaune took in a quick breath before looking straight ahead and began to speak. "Sir, I am a dropout from Beacon Academy."

Both drill sergeants burst out laughing, but quickly recomposed themselves and continued to berate Jaune. This went on for hours without any end in sight. Thankfully, Jaune did manage to learn several things from the event.

First was the bitter relationship between mercenaries and hunters. Jaune always thought there was some kind of rivalry but never in his wildest dreams did he think that it was more than that. Based on what the drill sergeants had said, there is a deep hatred between both groups and there have even been clashes with blood spilled on both sides. The blonds decided to keep low as now he has been identified with the same group that his future comrades hated. Hopefully everything will turn out fine, but the Arc new better. Even with his luck there will likely be some repercussions simply because he attended a huntsmen academy.

Second was the level of punishment he should expect from his new trainers. Back at beacon they were not allowed to harm the students and were duty bound to help their students thrive and flourish. The Warhawks were a completely different story. The Drill Sergeants could verbally and physically harm you if you so much as looked the wrong direction. Jaune at first thought that they were just sick individuals, but overtime he managed to come up with a highly plausible theory for the treatment. It was all part of training the recruits to tolerate pain and be able to steel themselves during combat. Perhaps this may work better than the coddling that he experienced at beacon.

After the Drill Sergeants had enough with Jaune, they herded everyone through processing and on they way to the barracks. Processing wasn't bad, just mundane. Only thing Jaune had to complain about was how rough the barber was when cutting his hair. The blonde could've sworn that he had been scalped half the time. The rest of it was changing into the same uniforms that the instructors were wearing and obtaining other clothes for classes and physical training. After the processing the group was once again herded into a building that looked like a half cylinder made of sheet metal and wood. The interior was rather spartan with only bunkbeds and footlockers to occupy the room. The floor was made of what seemed like cheap wood and the walls were the same sheet metal he saw from the outside. Each recruit was assigned a bed and ordered to change into the sleepwear provided. Jaune privately thanked himself for not bringing his onesie or else he would never hear the end of it.

The sleepwear provided was nothing special. Just a simple white shirt with black pants, but each had a number on the left breast. Jaune was about to ask what these were for until the Drill Sergeants explained that these would help identify the recruit and to prevent stealing. After that explanation, Azul colorfully explained what she would do to any thieves and the many methods of discipline she would use. Jaune never even heard of half of the methods himself, but the devilish smirk growing across Madison's face as Azul spoke was enough to discourage him. Not that he would ever steal, oh no. Jaune was punished enough by his sisters to know that stealing was always met with negative consequences.

After the colorful lecture, the recruits were ordered to sleep. Each one crawled into their bed and tried to drift off to sleep. Jaune himself was placed in the corner farthest from the door, but he was also cornered. Several other recruits picked up on this and decided to have fun with the ex-huntsman in training. Jaune noticed a group of four recruits got out of their beds and began to walk over to his. The rest of the barracks started to form a broken circle as their curiosity got the better of them. The blonde mentally sighed as this whole scenario reminded him of Cardin and his team and how they made his life hell at Beacon. The leader of the group even seemed to look like Winchester and added to the irony of the situation. Jaune would be laughing right now, but he stopped himself as his attention was focused on the group of four trainees approaching him like a pack of hungry beowolves.

Jaune was way too tired for this whole confrontation so he turned his head towards them, gave them a tired glare, and said "Look you guys have fill your ego later OK? I am sure the Drill Sergeants will be happy to watch the recruits fight." With that said, he turned away from them and tried to fall back asleep. He mentally chuckled at how mature he sounded, and summed it up to all of the events that have occurred in the past couple of days. As he was drifting off to sleep, the blonde knight could hear the group walk away towards their respective bunks. He let out a sigh and thought of the beating that was most likely waiting for him the next morning. Hopefully it won't be as bad as Beacon….. Hopefully.

 **AN: Merry Christmas you filthy animals, and here is the second chapter to the Dropout Commander. Hope you all are ready for some bootcamp** **shenanigans and other bootcamp related BS. Now I will say the bootcamp arc will probably be another two chapters or so, as I want to build Jaune up as a more mature and soldier like character before he is sent out on his first mission. There will also be several references to what is going on back at Beacon and our blonde knight may get a few visitors during his training. Also, I know real life recruitment and bootcamp is not like how I am portraying it, but this is fiction for a reason. Now as always, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always welcomed. I do not want reviews only saying how much my story sucks without giving examples and so on. That doesn't help me as an author and it doesn't help the story. Also, if you guys want a review response section at eh beginning of each chapter let me know. You are also welcome to argue parings, but don't expect those to have a extreme influence on the story. I do think Jaune will probably be paired with someone, either from Beacon or in his travels, but i am not sure who. But oh well. I have plenty of time to mess with that idea.**

 **Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'M ALIIIVVEEEEE. I cannot apologize enough for how late this update is. The unholy trinity of procrastination, writer's block, and real life killed me. On the bright side, I'm back to writing the story. Special thanks to TopHat for helping me out with the chapter! Now onto the fun.**

 **Chapter 3**

Jaune blinked multiple times, his sight was blurry. He could hear yelling. Something about getting the fuck up. Then he heard a loud CRASH!

The person who was currently disturbing his sleep was slowly walking down the line of beds, banging on an empty trash can lid with a rough wooden stick. This sudden intrusion tore Jaune from his rest, forcing him snap back towards an awake state. As he got out of his bed, all of his memories of the past few days came back to him. At first, he was depressed out of his life, but that was soon overtaken by an overwhelming sense of hope.

Hope was the reason why he joined the Warhawks in the first place, hope that he can rebuild what he lost and become even stronger than before. Jaune looked around and saw the other recruits waking up and climbing out of their respective bunks. The disowned knight could dozens of emotions amongst their faces, many of which were either shock or fear. Jaune could relate to them, but he tried to push those emotions away, but he just couldn't, no matter how much he tried. He had never experienced anything like this before.

He was interrupted mid though by Drill Sergeant Azul in front of him, "What the fuck are you doing Arc! Did fucking huntsmen school make your brain FUCKING PULP!"

He flinched slighted, which wasn't good at all for him, "OOOOOOOOH SHIT ARC! Looks like the huntsmen is a fucking pussy!"

Of course, desperate to avoid any more abuse my Azul, he quickly got in front of his bunk, standing at a form of attention. Drill Sergeants Azul and Madison started herding the recruits on their respective sides. Screaming colorful and creative profanity. From what he heard, he could tell the sergeants have had lots of practice.

Once the two lines were formed, both sergeants positioned themselves on each end of the hallway. A few minutes later, Drill Sergeant Mendez walked through the main door along with another individual. This individual was a woman who stood at around the same height as Mendez. She had jet black hair with bright green eyes, along with a pale complexion. The only difference in their uniforms was the insignias. Mendez had several stripes on his arms while the woman had two golden stars on either shoulder.

"Officer on deck!" screamed Mendez as everyone in the room stood as straight as humanly possible.

Even the drill sergeants stood as straight as they could but were somehow overshadowed by the recruits. Jaune noticed that everyone seemed to look at the woman with a massive amount of respect and admiration. It was eerily familiar to how everyone seemed to look at Pyrrha back at Beacon.

Instead of being one of admiration, Jaune sensed that this was a kind of a camaraderie. This woman has earned her place here and can easily crush whoever challenged her. The aura of confidence and the sword on her hip could attest to that.

After a few more seconds of silence, the black haired woman took a calming breath before speaking, "Good morning recruits, I am Major General Anne Frost. I lead the 2nd Division of the Warhawks, which if you don't know, is based here in Vale."

She began to walk up and down the row of trainees while continuing her speech, "All two hundred of you currently make up Bravo Company of 3rd Battalion of the 1st Commando Regiment."

Wait, did he hear that right? Commando Regiment? He thought he had signed for a regular infantry regiment! Jaune, being the absent-minded person he was, didn't realize that the recruiter had tricked him into signing to join the Commando Regiment. He cursed himself mentally, but he realized he couldn't do anything about that now.

Frost continued her speech, "All of your NCOs will be chosen from your group. You may choose to become an officer after basic training if you volunteer for OCS."

"We don't operate like the kingdoms. Only those who work hard earn the rank. Nothing will be given to you and there are no entitlements. You will all train over the course of two months to weed out the weak-willed, and then you will be sent off to combat and specialization training."

She then stops in front of Jaune and turns to look at him straight in the eye. "Make no mistake, not all of you will pass and there are no second chances."

The blonde had to suppress a shudder after she continued walking. This woman terrified him, and he would try to stay out of her way.

Frost then began to walk towards the door while saying, "Some of you have a better chance than others, but don't sacrifice each other for personal gain. That would be… a waste of resources." With her final sentence being said, she walks out of the barracks with Mendez in tow, leaving the recruits and drill sergeants alone in the room.

Before the blonde could think about what just happened, all three drill sergeants began screaming for the recruits to put on their PT gear, causing Jaune to save his questions for later. For now, he had something called "Hell Week" and he was not looking forward to it.

XXX

Meals have usually been a rather lonely event for Jaune, up until the short time in Beacon, and so he got used to sitting alone with only his thoughts to accompany him. This time alone allowed the dishonored knight to think about what led him to choose the life as a PMC and the betrayal he suffered at Beacon.

First, it was that asshole Cardin. Not only did he bully him, but he blackmailed him and threatened to harm his friends and kill him. Even after saving his ass from the Ursa, Cardin still ratted him out. Now he would have been able to handle that even if his old team and RWBY still had his back, but even they eventually abandoned him. Though he had to give some credit to his team. At least they tried to stay with him, but no doubt the social pressure caused them to leave. But despite this, Ozpin and the professors still had his back. That was even confirmed by the scrolling message he received the previous day.

Apparently, Ozpin acquired information regarding his enlistment into the Warhawks and offered his support, along with Beacon's staff, but Jaune was still bitter from the expulsion from Beacon, no matter what the circumstances were. Jaune's personality was still there, as simply an event like his expulsion couldn't completely change his personality. Though the belligerent looks he was receiving didn't help with the number of friends he had.

It all started when the damn drill sergeants called him out for being an ex-huntsman in training during the first week of it. He knew that there was an unspoken hatred between mercenaries and hunters, but this was ridiculous. Every day there would be some form of "accident" or, "miscommunication" where his PT clothing or other supplies would go missing. This made "Hell Week" even more unbearable and the Drill Sergeants did little to help. The most annoying part of these "accidents" were the ones who Jaune suspected to be behind them.

Whenever Jaune saw the group of four, it would set off the strongest sense of deja vu he had ever felt as the leader looked almost exactly like Cardin. The only difference being the Cardin look-alike having a scar over his left eye and was slightly taller. He never really got a good look at the remaining three of his group, but they looked like almost everyone else in their regiment: buzz cuts and imposing figures. Though one of the people was also a woman so Jaune guessed that this difference might change some things.

He could only tell the women apart from the men due to their body shapes and their hair buns. Other than that, they all had short haircuts and in the same olive uniform. As the dishonored knight contemplated his situation, the very group that occupied his current thoughts began to approach him.

The slight movement in Jaune's peripheral vision caused him to look towards the advancing group but chose to not react. His time at Beacon showed that submitting to a bully and standing up to one doesn't work, so he opted to ignore them. It's been easy so far as they've harassed him from a distance so far, however it appears today is the day they change their tactics. Instead of attacking him from afar, they've decided they needed to close the distance.

The Cardin lookalike was the first to arrive at the table and sat down across from Jaune. The woman sat to his left and the other two goons sat to his right. Each of their landings was over exaggerated to the point where the table shook as each individual sat down. The dishonored knight gave an indication of him noticing their presence, and he continued to eat his food. His actions seemed to annoy Cardin 2.0.

"Really Blondie? We come and give you some company, and you don't even say hi?" The scarred recruit asked while reaching for Jaune's food when his hand was grabbed by said blonde.

The blonde's hair shadowed his eyes, but the four around him could feel the glare sent their comrade's way. Each of the recruits shivered as the temperature seemed to drop considerably, and the other occupants of the cafeteria also responded to the sudden temperature change. The Cardin lookalike saw Jaune's hand begin to tremble, and the pressure on his own hand began to increase.

"Alright buddy, you can calm down now. I was only joking," the scarred recruit shakily said while attempting to remove his appendage from the blonde's grip. "We only wanted to talk for crying out loud!"

The man then turned towards the young woman to Jaune's left and said, "Come on Ash help me out!"

Ash simply smirked before looking the other way, "Not my fault you tried to bully the kid. He clearly knows what he's doing."

She then turned her gaze towards Jaune and said, "So blondie, why is a high and mighty hunter getting his hands dirty? Got bored of the life you had?"

The dishonored knight snorted as he let go of the hand he was holding. It seems that huntsmen weren't the only ones with over exaggerated views of their competitors. Jaune looked upwards at Ash before saying, "I got kicked out of Beacon."

The four others at the table were dumbfounded from not only being kicked out of a huntsman school but also previously attending the most prestigious academy there was. The dumbfoundedness soon turned to snickers and then full blown laughter. The dishonored knight scowled even further once he heard this laughter. His anger began to boil within him, threatening to lash out.

Ash barely collected herself before saying, "Are you kidding me Blondie? If Pierre's little bro can stay in there then what the hell did you do?" She then descended back into a fit of laughter. Her three companions joined the laughter as well, but the one whose hand was still in Jaune's grip had a curious gleam grow in his eyes.

"Little Brother?" Jaune asked while releasing Pierre's hand from his grasp. The disowned knight turned his gaze towards him and said, "What is his name?"

"Cardin", Pierre said while massaging his hand. He then looked up and said, "why do you ask?"

Jaune leveled an intensive glare towards the older Winchester whilst saying, "Your brother is why I got kicked out. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not gonna like you either."

Before anything could escalate, the drill sergeants walked into the mess hall while parading the recruits out. Pierre gave Jaune an apologetic look before getting up and merging with the mass of recruits. The other two recruits who did not engage in the conversation simply got up and left without so much as a glance. Ash simply left with a wink and nothing else.

Part of Jaune thought that they would be the same as Cardin and his team, but something felt off. They didn't hold the same arrogance, but plenty of the hostility. The dishonored knight would have pondered on this more of Drill Sergeant Azul didn't hit him with a baton and chase him out of the mess hall for being a 'lazy shit'. He couldn't wait for the rest of the day to unfold.

 **Now before you start a witch hunt, I know the chapter was short. There will be more and the action will happen soon. Until next time!**


End file.
